Courage
by lovetheblazer
Summary: How did Blaine's first day at McKinley High go? Let's just say there were some highs...and some lows. Klaine angst, hurt/comfort, and fluff. Contains bullying. Spoilers through Glee 3x01 "The Purple Piano Project."
1. Part 1

**Summary: How did Blaine's first day at McKinley go? Let's just say there were some highs...and some lows. Klaine angst, hurt/comfort, and fluff. Contains bullying. Spoilers through Glee 3x01 "The Purple Piano Project."**

Blaine grinned as he watched Kurt carry on a rapid fire conversation in French with his teacher about some sort of extra credit assignment (not that Kurt really needed the points since he was light years ahead of most of the dumb jocks in their French class). The bell had just rung, signaling that it was time to change classes before Blaine's last class of his first full day at McKinley High School. So far, it had been magical. Just getting to do simple things with Kurt like grab lunch together in the cafeteria had been thrilling and Blaine had spent the last period practically drooling as he watched Kurt carry on a dialogue with his assignment partner in perfectly accented French. The things that boy could do with his mouth...well, Blaine wasn't sure if some of them were even legal. Blaine had absorbed less than 10% of what had gone on in French class since he was simply too busy fantasizing about kissing Kurt senseless after school. Luckily, Dalton Academy's rigorous academic standards meant that Blaine was beyond over-qualified for pretty much every class at McKinley High school, which was fortunate because Blaine couldn't imagine how he would get any work done in class when he could gaze freely at Kurt instead.

Blaine looked back at Kurt who was jotting down some notes in an assignment planner that appeared to be covered in the Louis Vuitton logo. He smiled for the millionth time at the vision in front of him, before realizing that he only had four minutes to grab his lab goggles and workbook out of his locker before his Chemistry class.

"Hey Kurt, I need to grab some stuff for Chem out of my locker. I'll meet you at your locker after 6th period okay?" Blaine said as he gathered his books and headed for the door.

Kurt looked up and gave him a heart-stopping ear-to-ear grin before resuming his scribbling. "Sounds good, Blaine. Enjoy Chem. I think you'll like Dr. Buscher. See you in an hour."

Blaine quickly made his way to his locker, spinning the combination quickly (5-27-94; Kurt's birthday, of course) and grabbing his lab supplies. He grinned at the photo collage Kurt had made for his locker. Pictures of the two of them standing arm in arm covered the locker door. There were snapshots from their day trip to the lake, pictures of them dancing cheek-to-cheek at Prom, and several candids that Blaine had snapped of Kurt while they snuggled lazily on the couch, loving the look of Kurt's normally perfect hair when it was mussed up from their make out sessions. In the center of the collage, Kurt had cut out magazine letters spelling out "courage." It had become their motto, their anthem as they were determined to be together, to be happy, and to be themselves no matter what the cost. Blaine smiled as he remembered the first time he had spoken that word to Kurt, back when Kurt was just an adorable spy from a rival school. They had come so far in mere months and Blaine couldn't remember a time when he'd ever been happier than he was at this very moment, sharing every day with the boy that he loved so much that it hurt sometimes.

Blaine was rudely shaken from his thoughts by the gunshot-loud sound of his open locker door slamming against the locker next to his as he was violently shoved backwards into the bank of lockers. Before he could comprehend what was happening, he was shoved roughly to the ground, his books and lab supplies spilling out of his half-open messenger bag. He looked up to see a large African-American male in a varsity letter jacket sneering down at him._ "Ahh, this must be Karfosky's buddy Azimio that I've heard so much about,"_ thought Blaine grimly.

Blaine's whole face flushed in humiliation as students continued to stream through the hallway, giving him strange looks before walking on, no one seeming to notice or care that he'd just been thrown to the ground for absolutely no reason. _"This must be what it has been like every day for Kurt,"_ thought Blaine, feeling rage bubble up as he imagined his beautiful boyfriend being treated this way.

"_Courage,"_ thought Blaine as he began to gather his things while simultaneously trying to sound as strong as possible. "What the fuck is your problem, dude?" he asked Azimio harshly. He was kneeling on one knee while he gathered the remainder of his books, trying hard not to show the fear he felt. Blaine stretched to grab his lab workbook, accidentally brushing his hand against Azimio's leg as he reached for the book. And that was all it took to cause Azimio to lash out again.

"What the fuck?" yelled Azimio disgustedly as he felt the new guy's hand brush his leg. His foot kicked out in an attempt to knock the boy away from him, connecting harshly with the younger boy's side. "Don't ever touch me again, homo," he said to the now writhing boy on the ground. "Welcome to McKinley High, queer," he all but spat out before hurrying away before a teacher could catch him.

Blaine was curled on the ground, trying desperately to get air into his spasming chest. His left side was a wash of white hot agony, with each small gasp or exhalation of air only adding to the fire in his chest. Hot tears poured down his cheeks unabated in response to the mix of pain and humiliation over what had just happened. Just as he was finally starting to catch his breath again, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder as someone knelt down beside him.

Finn looked down in concern at Blaine, noticing that he was holding his left side and struggling to breathe. "Hey man, you okay? What happened?" Finn noticed that Blaine's books had spilled out of his bag, and began to replace them carefully while he waited for Blaine to respond.

"He...guy just...kicked...me. Azimio...I think..." Blaine gasped out painfully.

Finn's eyes widened at Blaine's response. Finn wasn't necessarily Blaine's biggest fan, mostly because Blaine had kissed his _girlfriend_ _and _his _stepbrother _and that was just weird. And there was that one time this summer that he'd walked in on Blaine and Kurt making out in Kurt's bed...and oh god, now Finn was picturing Blaine without his shirt on and that wasn't going to help make things less awkward. He shook his head slightly to clear the image and focused back on Blaine who now sitting up and angrily brushing away a few tears from his cheek as he struggled to get his breathing back under control. Finn felt awful for Blaine in that moment. It was his first day at a new school, and this was the welcome he'd been given. Finn had promised Burt that he'd watch over Kurt when Kurt decided he was ready to come back to McKinley. Finn knew that Kurt was hopelessly in love with Blaine and suddenly realized that taking care of Kurt probably should include making sure that Blaine wasn't getting the shit beat out of him either.

"Sorry, man. That's sucks. Are you okay? Do you need me to take you to the nurse or something? Do you want me to get Kurt?" Finn asked, unsure.

"No...no, please don't. I think I just got the wind knocked out of me. I'm totally fine," Blaine lied, trying not to wince visibly as his ribs throbbed with each breath. "I...I should get to class. Thanks for helping me pick up my books," Blaine said, struggling to stand up straight as the throb in his chest increased tenfold. He took his bag from Finn and slung it over one shoulder, noticing that his hands were visibly shaking as he did so. He stuffed them in his pockets quickly.

"Are you sure you're okay, dude? Your face is as white as a ghost and it sounds like you can't breathe," Finn asked, his face wide with concern. "Why I don't I go grab Kurt and he can..."

"No," Blaine said, more firmly this time. "I'm fine, Finn. It's nothing. Don't tell Kurt anything, okay?"

Finn looked confused. "Wha-? I think he'd want to know if you are getting the shit beat out of you, Blaine."

"No. He can't know, okay Finn? I tripped and fell. That's it. Got it?" he asked, his eyes dark and piercing as he stared Finn down, waiting for him to agree to keep his cover story.

Finn held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, whatever you want. I won't say anything to Kurt. But I really think you should tell him. You don't have to be embarrassed. It's happened to all of us. I got slushied twice yesterday."

"I'll take that under advisement, Finn," Blaine responded, his voice cold and his eyes staring off into the distance. "But look, I've got to get to class or I'm going to be late. Thanks for helping me get my books."

Finn nodded his head. "Sure, see you later." Finn turned to talk toward his English classroom before turning back around to look at Blaine. "Hey Blaine, if you...if you ever need anything, let me know. If someone's giving you a lot of trouble, let me know and Puck, Mike, and I will have your back. Us glee clubbers have to stick together, you know?"

Blaine gave Finn a tight smile in response. "Thanks, Finn. See you later." And with that, Blaine hobbled off to class, trying to stand up straight despite the growing ache in his chest, his breath shuddering and a lump growing in his throat as he fought to stay under control. He couldn't run away this time. And most of all, what Blaine didn't want to do was _remember. _

**What do you think so far? This will be just a short two part fic. You'll get more Kurt in the next chapter, and a little more explanation about the last line of this story. I'll try to post the second part tonight or tomorrow, but before I do, please let me know what you think.**

**Want to read more of my Glee fics? Follow me on tumblr at place-that-ive-been-dreaming-of (dot) tumblr (dot) com**


	2. Part 2

**I've decided to do this in three parts instead of just two. This part is mostly fluffy with a bit of smut. Part 3 will contain more angst and smut and will wrap up the bullying story that was introduced in Part 1. Hope you enjoy the Klaine fluff/smut in the meantime. **

**Why this chapter? Because I lost a bet about whether or not I could make Geometry sexy... The bet may have been with myself, but still... Hopefully the weirdest use of isosceles triangles that you've seen thus far. Was I successful? Mild math-related smut (because that's now a thing that exists in my mind) ahead... Read at your own risk. **

_**And with that, Blaine hobbled off to class, trying to stand up straight despite the growing ache in his chest, his breath shuddering and a lump growing in his throat as he fought to stay under control. He couldn't run away this time. And most of all, what Blaine didn't want to do was remember. **_

"You're quiet," Kurt remarked as he watched Blaine drive them to Kurt's house in relative silence. "Everything okay?" he asked, starting to worry that Blaine was already regretting his decision to transfer to McKinley.

Blaine had been unusually quiet for most of the drive, mostly because he kept mentally picturing what had happened after 5th period over and over again. He'd managed to mostly get himself under control before he met Kurt at his locker after Chemistry. He was no longer visibly shaking and he'd erased any signs of the hot, angry tears that had marred his cheeks earlier. But he still felt weak, haunted by what had happened and even more haunted by how he'd responded. Like a coward.

Over and over again, Blaine kept coming back to the same thought. Kurt had withstood this type of bullying for years and barely flinched. He'd taken the physical and emotional abuse time after time and come out on top despite the pain he had to have been in. And meanwhile, Blaine ran away from his public school almost immediately after the bullying began. And despite all that Kurt had been through, Blaine had the nerve to tell _Kurt_ to be courageous, to stand up for himself, to do something that Blaine himself had been too afraid to do. Kurt was just _fearless_ and on days like today, Blaine couldn't help but feel woefully inadequate in comparison.

Blaine glanced at Kurt and noticed that his boyfriend was giving him a strange look. The last thing he wanted was for Kurt to think he'd had anything less than a perfect first day at McKinley. So Blaine took a deep breath and replied, aiming for a breezy, casual tone.

"I'm not quiet. I'm being passive aggressive," he smirked.

Kurt grinned, remembering the same familiar words he'd spoken days ago. But there was a tightness to Blaine's smile that belied the snarky reply, causing Kurt to look at him, confused and slightly worried.

"Is something bothering you Blaine? Did I do something? I told you I didn't want you to transfer if you were going to resent me for it. Oh god, we are going to be just like Emily and Brad on The Bachelor where she says she's totally in love, but then he asks her to move to Texas for him and she gets all mad and then they're fighting on national TV and I..."

Blaine couldn't help but chuckle at Kurt's distress. "Kurt, stop. Wow, babe. Take a breath. We're fine. I was just joking. You know, I'm starting to think letting you watch The Bachelor and The Bachelorette was a bad idea. You're getting a little too worked up over a six week romance between two reality television stars."

Kurt let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. "There is such a thing as love at first sight, you know?" It took me way less than six weeks to know that I was in love with you."

Blaine couldn't help but grin at Kurt's casual admission of love. Sometimes he just couldn't believe how lucky he was to have someone like Kurt in his life.

"Of course you fell for me immediately. How could you resist me when I was singing you Katy Perry? Plus, I've been told that I'm pretty adorable in my Dalton blazer..." Blaine trailed off, ducking just in time to avoid a gentle punch to the shoulder as Kurt lashed out half-heartedly while rolling his eyes.

"Hey, you can't punch the driver. I'm pretty sure that is a no-no according to every driver's ed class," Blaine admonished teasingly.

Blaine managed to duck a second punch, so Kurt settled for sticking out his tongue. "Whatever Blaine. We are parked anyways, so I'm pretty sure it is safe. Speaking of which, Carole is out of town, Finn is at football practice, and my dad is working late if you want to come upstairs and help me study..." Kurt waggled his eyebrows suggestively as he propositioned Blaine, making it clear that he had no intention of actually getting any "studying" done.

Blaine was torn. On the one hand, the skin-tight jeans Kurt was wearing had been taunting Blaine since first period. The thought of getting the chance to explore Kurt's soft skin and gorgeous mouth freely had Blaine feeling slightly dizzy already. But as much as Blaine had tried to ignore it for the past hour, his body was sore and tightly wound from his earlier run-in with Azimio and his ribs had begun to ache with every breath. He'd managed to keep the incident after 5th period from Kurt thus far, but Blaine was still worried that he'd do something to give away what had happened earlier if he spent more time one-on-one with Kurt. And that was the _last_ thing that Blaine wanted to happen at the moment.

Kurt gave Blaine an odd look. He'd been looking forward to spending some unhurried time with Blaine ever since his dad had told him that he and Carole would both be home late that afternoon. Kurt and Blaine rarely managed to find alone together, and when they did, it usually involved awkward make-out sessions in Kurt or Blaine's car before curfew. After one of those hurried, impromptu make out sessions, Kurt had learned that almost impaling himself on the car's gear shift was a real mood killer. The thought of having Blaine in his bedroom and being able to explore his body freely... Well, it was all Kurt had been thinking about all day. But Blaine seemed hesitant for some reason, and that was making Kurt feel anxious and insecure

Blaine's brain and hormones were warring. In the end, his hormones won out because seriously, who could resist Kurt in those jeans? Especially when he was staring up at his boyfriend with bedroom eyes that made Blaine ache with need.

Wordlessly, Blaine walked around to the passenger side door of his car, opening it chivalrously for Kurt. He scooped up Kurt's messenger bag and swung it over his shoulder, trying not to wince as the corner of the bag poked into his bruised side.. "After you my dear," Blaine said as he took Kurt's arm in his. "So what exactly are we studying today, hmm? Anatomy? Biology? Chemistry?"

Kurt gave him a lustful look that nearly caused Blaine's brain to short circuit. "Geometry," he replied breathlessly.

Blaine raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Geometry, huh? Because you want to use your protractor? I'm having a hard time with coming up with sexy puns for Geometry, Kurt. Enlighten me.."

Kurt unlocked the front door to the house and took Blaine by the hand, confidently leading him upstairs to his bedroom. "I'll show you.." he said throatily, turning back so that his eyes could trail down Blaine's body. Kurt was enjoying watching Blaine watch him as he languidly stepped up the stairs, slower than was necessary, strictly speaking.

"Sit," Kurt commanded, directing Blaine to a small bench in front of Kurt's vanity mirror, while circling behind Blaine and resting his hands on Blaine's shoulders.

Blaine did as commanded, breathing heavily already at the feel of Kurt's hands on his shoulders, the warmth of Kurt's touch releasing much of the tension that had built up over the course of the day. He looked into the mirror, watching Kurt stare at him, wondering what was to come next.

"Look at your face, Blaine. I want you to pay attention to your eyebrows for a minute," Kurt directed, his eyes darkening slightly as he gazed into the mirror at his boyfriend.

"Kurt.." Blaine started, blushing, having tired already of the seemingly endless jokes that McKinley High students made about his admittedly bushy eyebrows.

"Look at me, Blaine," Kurt commanded, more firmly this time. "You are beautiful. Don't you ever forget that. But now I want you to look at your eyebrows for a minute. What shape do you see?"

Blaine sighed heavily, looking back to his own face. "Triangles, Kurt. I know, they are very traingular. I've been made fun of about it since I was kid...but I swear this is how they grow normally."

Kurt just stared back at him intently through the mirror's reflection. "Yes, they are traingular, but more importantly they are beautiful. You are beautiful." Kurt suddenly leaned forward and nuzzled Blaine's neck, slowly tracing the spot where Blaine's neck met his collarbone with his mouth.

Blaine's eyes slid closed at the sudden sensation. His lips parted slightly as he whispered "Kurt..."

But Kurt was too focused on the task at hand to respond. He continued to map Blaine's neck with his lips and tongue, pausing to recreate any movement that elicited a gasp or shudder of pleasure from his boyfriend. After a few minutes of growing heat between them, Kurt allowed his left hand a passport to explore as he wrapped his arm around Blaine's shoulder and slowly trailed his hand down the warm angles of Blaine's chest.

Blaine leaned back into Kurt slightly as Kurt wrapped his other arm around him, sighing contentedly at the feeling of being possessed, of being owned by those hands. Suddenly Kurt's hands and mouth stilled their movements and Blaine whimpered involuntarily at the loss, his eyes still closed and his body waiting impatiently for Kurt's touch.

"Open your eyes, Blaine," Kurt suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse and slightly shaky in comparison to the calm and confident commands he had given only minutes earlier.

Blaine's eyes flew open to see Kurt watching him intently through the mirror. Kurt's cheeks were flushed slightly and he was breathing heavier than he had been only minutes earlier, something Blaine found infintely exciting. "What am I supposed to be looking at?" Blaine asked, still somewhat confused.

"Eyebrows," Kurt all but growled back at him before sliding his head down to nuzzle Blaine's neck again, taking care to run his lips across the spot that had caused Blaine to shudder earlier.

Blaine and Kurt both watched in the mirror as Blaine's lips parted into a perfect "O" of pleasure and his eyes widened considerably, his eyebrows raising until they were nearly hidden by the curls at his hairline.

"See, right there," Kurt smirked, reaching his free hand out to trace the patterns of Blaine's eyebrows gently. I just changed your eyebrows from equilateral to isosceles triangles, using only my mouth. That's Geometry, Blaine."

Blaine laughed so hard that he nearly choked. _"Leave it to Kurt..."_ he couldn't help but thinking. He was straining to come up with a witty comeback about math and sex, before his brain short-circuited for at least the third time in the past half hour as Kurt slid into his lap and kissed him full on the hesitation, he wrapped his arms around Kurt, wanting more of everything. More of Kurt's mouth against his, slow and rolling. More friction against his lap as Kurt leaned into the kiss. More tingles of hot pleasure as Kurt's hand gripped the back of his head, tugging gently at the curls that had gathered at the nape of his neck as he pulled him deeper into the kiss. More heat from Kurt's body that seared through the thin, denim fabric of Blaine's jeans. Just _more_.

The kiss was hot and electric and over way too soon as Kurt suddenly stood, grabbing Blaine's hand as he lead him towards the bed. Blaine followed eagerly, his worries from earlier that day forgotten as Kurt situated himself on the bed, leaning back against the headboard before pulling Blaine down atop him.

Blaine knelt between Kurt's spread legs, lowering his body until his torso was resting against Kurt's upper body while his weight was distributed on elbows that Blaine rested on either side of Kurt's head. Kurt lifted his head slightly and pulled Blaine's face down to his, cupping the back of his neck as teeth and tongues and lips crashed together, more violently and passionately this time. Blaine sighed audibly against Kurt's mouth as the kiss deepened, letting go of any remaining tension as he forgot everything save for the sensation of Kurt_, everywhere_. His tongue. His scent. The heat from his body. The sounds Kurt was making beneath him. Things were moving quickly, awakening sensations in Blaine that he'd never experienced. It was both too much and not enough all at once and in that moment, Blaine was absolutely powerless. Kurt's hands, his body, they _owned_ him.

Kurt was likewise enjoying the new sensations. Having Blaine on top of him, feeling Blaine's heft and heat as he pushed into Kurt desperately was amazing. But there was a small part of Kurt that was wondering what it might be like to be the one to be in control. To hold Blaine pinned against the bed with the weight of his body. To tower above Blaine and know that Blaine was powerless to move, to resist his advances. The thought alone was more exciting than anything Kurt had experienced previously, and before he was consciously aware of it, he'd gripped Blaine firmly, one hand wrapped around Blaine's back and shoulders, cupping the base of Blaine's neck, while the other rested against Blaine's lower back, tugging their hips closer together. As Kurt gripped at Blaine desperately, he rolled to the side, unseating Blaine from his position as he rolled atop him in one smooth motion, resting the full weight of his body against Blaine's as he stared down at his beautiful boyfriend from his new vantage point.

Blaine's body had been utterly unprepared for the unexpected shift in positions as Kurt suddenly tugged their bodies closer together before rolling Blaine on to his back and shifting on top of him. His side was abruptly awash with white hot agony as his bruised ribs were roughly ground into the mattress as Kurt came to rest on top of him with his full weight. Blaine felt his chest spasm from the shock of pain as he struggled to drawn in air. His whole body tensed involuntarily with the pain of the sudden movement.

Kurt's eyes flew open in shock as he felt his boyfriend's body tighten suddenly beneath him. Worst still was the gasp of pain that Blaine let out, clearly very different from the appreciative gasps of pleasure Blaine had been making only minutes earlier. He looked down to see that Blaine's face had tightened and gone pale white, the pain evident on his face to such an extent that Kurt could have sworn he felt physical pain of his own just from witnessing the look on Blaine's face.

Kurt's movements stilled save for a gentle hand that went to Blaine's cheek, stroking it gently as he called out worriedly, "Blaine?"

**This is was my first attempt at writing anything remotely resembling Klaine smut despite being a fan of the genre... How did I do with it? Is it something you'd like to see more of? Part 3 will see the return on the angst that figured heavily in the first chapter. **

**Among other things, this is my attempt to work on writing shorter fics as I tend to favor extremely long, multi-chapter fics and admire writers that can get the point across in shorter stories. What do you think? Would you be interested in reading other short fics inspired by episodes of the current season of Glee? If you have plot requests or prompts that you are dying to see in fic form, send me a message and I'll see what I can do :) I'm working on Part 3 as we speak and should post it tonight or tomorrow. Enjoy!**

**Want to read more of my Glee fics? Follow me on tumblr at place-that-ive-been-dreaming-of (dot) tumblr (dot) com**


	3. Part 3

_**Kurt's eyes flew open in shock as he felt his boyfriend's body tighten suddenly beneath him. Worse still was the gasp of pain that Blaine let out, clearly very different from the appreciative gasps of pleasure Blaine had been making only minutes earlier. He looked down to see that Blaine's face had tightened and gone pale white, the pain evident on his face to such an extent that Kurt could have sworn he felt physical pain of his own just from witnessing the look on Blaine's face.**_

_**Kurt's movements stilled save for a gentle hand that went to Blaine's cheek, stroking it gently as he called out worriedly, "Blaine?"**_

Blaine struggled to draw in a deep, shuddering breath as he opened his eyes, biting his lip in frustration as he looked into Kurt's worried face hovering unsure above him "Sorry..." he managed. "Just got a stitch in my side. I'm fine," Blaine finished lamely, trying to give Kurt a reassuring smile that came out more like a grimace.

"Really, Kurt," Blaine continued stiffly, trying it move as little as possible in order to avoid another spasm of pain.

Kurt looked from Blaine's carefully controlled face to his tense body and knew something more was wrong. But what was it? He watched as Blaine shifted slightly beneath him, pressing his against his side like a splint. Before Blaine knew what was happening, Kurt reached for the hem of Blaine's now untucked black shirt, pulling it up to expose his boyfriend's left side.

Kurt let out a gasp at the sight in front of him. Blaine's beautiful tan skin and leanly muscled torso were marred by a large purple bruise that spanned most of Blaine's ribs. The bruising looked fresh. As Kurt leaned down for a closer look, he saw something that caused him to momentarily see red. Was that a shoe print? What. The. Fuck? Kurt had no idea who could have done this to his boyfriend, but he was certain that he was going to kill whoever had laid a hand on Blaine. With his bare hands. Without even flinching. But Kurt's fury quickly gave way to concern when he glanced up to see Blaine covering his face with the crook of his arm and breathing heavily.

"Blaine? What happened? Who did this?" Kurt asked with concern. He gently traced the outline of the bruise, wincing as he saw Blaine flinch with the slightest pressure from Kurt's hand. But Blaine simply shook his head, continuing to hide his face from view. Kurt watched as he exhaled a shaky breath. Was Blaine crying?

Kurt scrambled to sit on the edge of bed nearest Blaine's head. He took Blaine's right hand in his, squeezing it gently as he tried again to coax his boyfriend into speaking. "Blaine, honey. C'mon...look at me. We need to talk about whatever happened."

But Blaine simply shook his head, continuing to cover his face. "I'm fine, Kurt," he muttered, his voice muffled by his arm.

"Blaine, please," Kurt begged, his voice breaking with emotion. "You're scaring me. I just need to know that you're okay. Can you please just talk to me? I'm your boyfriend. You're supposed to tell me everything."

Blaine was humiliated. The last thing that he wanted to do was relive the whole sordid tale for Kurt. He knew Kurt would only blame himself. But it wasn't Kurt's fault. It was 100% his and his alone. Blaine was the one that told Kurt to stand up for himself when Blaine himself was too much of coward to do the same thing. He'd ventured to tell Kurt only a little bit about his past thus far, mainly the Sadie Hawkins debacle. Blaine couldn't help but fear how Kurt would react if he had any idea how bad things had really been for Blaine when he was at a public school. Kurt inexplicably looked up to him, when in reality, Kurt was the much braver, stronger of the two of them. Blaine couldn't help but feel like a fraud, like a failure when he didn't have the guts to do half of the things he'd told Kurt to do to stand up to the Karofskys and Azimios of the world. He was a hypocrite.

But Blaine had always been helpless to refuse Kurt. That was the reason Blaine had said yes to going with Kurt to prom despite his fears of what might happen. And look at how badly that had turned out. Not only had Kurt been humiliated by the homophobic idiots at McKinley High School, but Blaine had utterly failed at protecting Kurt, at standing up for him. The only suggestion Blaine could come up with at the time had been for them to leave, to run away as Blaine had done all those years ago. But Kurt, Blaine's amazing, strong, brave, and beautiful boyfriend, had done what Blaine had never been able to do. He owned it. He walked right up to that stage and showed all the homophobic idiots at his school that they couldn't beat him. That they couldn't beat Blaine and Kurt or what they had.

Kurt was begging now, and the way his voice broke as he said "Blaine, please," reached into Blaine's heart. Kurt was worried. Blaine tried to put himself in Kurt's shoes for a moment and think about he would feel if he knew Kurt had been hurt by someone. Hell, Blaine _had_ been in Kurt's shoes before. Granted, they had just met when it happened, but _still._He remembered how he'd felt an instant connection to Kurt from the moment he'd taken his hand on the steps of Dalton. Kurt was beautiful, obviously, but it had been more than that. It was the way Kurt's blue eyes widened ever so slightly when Blaine had extended a hand to introduce himself. Blaine recognized that look. Kurt was honestly surprised that someone was giving him the time of day, that anyone would actually be _nice_ to him. Blaine remembered all too well how that felt. To feel invisible, or worse yet, to be a target. Blaine could see the pain in Kurt's eyes and had immediately made it his personal mission to get the mysterious newcomer to smile. Not the smile that Kurt put on every day to hide his pain, but a real smile, the kind that makes your heart lighter if only for moment. Blaine succeeded that day with a little help from Katy Perry and Kurt's heart-stopping smile had lit up the room.

Blaine relished the chance to be a person who could help for once instead of being the one who needed help. Blaine's whole life had changed when he got to Dalton Academy. He'd gone from being the source of constant bullying to a leader of the Warblers. Not only was he accepted, but he was looked up to. It was a heady feeling. So when he saw the pain in Kurt's eyes and saw how desperately Kurt had clung to his hand, to a connection with another human being, Blaine knew he wanted to do more to help. But Blaine hadn't truly known how much he cared about Kurt until he'd gotten that text.

_**FLASHBACK – NEVER BEEN KISSED IMMEDIATELY POST KAROFSKY KISS**_

Blaine had just been leaving the Warbler's rehearsal when a text popped up. Given that he'd just left all of his friends approximately 30 seconds ago, he was surprised and a bit confused. Who would be texting him?

He looked down at his iPhone and was shocked to see a message from Kurt. Earlier, Blaine spontaneously texted Kurt during a particularly boring Latin class, wanting Kurt to know that he was thinking about him, that someone was rooting for him. His message had been simple. Courage. He hadn't heard back from Kurt and had assumed that either Kurt didn't have his phone on at school or perhaps that Blaine had overstepped his boundaries. Granted, Blaine had only met Kurt 48 hours ago, but he felt a strange connection to him. He knew what it felt like to be Kurt and desperately wanted Kurt to know that he wasn't alone, even when it seemed like the whole world was against him.

_**Kurt****(4:22****pm):**Hey Blaine, it's Kurt. Hope I'm not bothering you..._

Blaine smiled in relief and quickly texted back, relieved that his earlier tet hadn't come off as pushy or overbearing.

_**Blaine****(4:24****pm):**No, you could never be bothering me. Besides, I texted you first. What's up? How'd your day go?_

_**Kurt****(4:25****pm):**It was...not great. I tried to do what you told me to do, I really did, but something happened. Something I wasn't expecting and I'm just not sure what to do now._

Blaine felt his heart first soar and then drop. He was unbelievably touched that Kurt had listened to what he said. It was mind-blowing to Blaine that he could be a mentor to anyone, given what he'd endured at his previous school. But honestly? Blaine was the last person that Kurt, or anyone for that matter, should be taking advice from. Blaine felt a knot start to grow in his stomach as he tried to think what could have happened to Kurt. Had that Dave kid humiliated him publically? Vandalized Kurt's locker and belongings again? What if he'd actually hurt Kurt? Blaine felt his panic rise as he considered the increasingly awful ways that he could have put Kurt in harm's way. Why did he ever tell Kurt to confront his bullies? Kurt said his main tormenter was a football player. Blaine was willing to bet the guy was twice Kurt's size. Without taking time to think through what he would say, Blaine scrolled through his list of contacts and dialed Kurt's cell phone number.

Kurt was staring at his half-typed text, trying to come up with a way to explain to Blaine what had happened with Karofsky when he was startled by his phone ringing. He looked back to the screen. It was Blaine. Holy shit, the cute and talented lead singer from Dalton Academy that Kurt had fallen head over heels in love with on sight was actually calling him. Kurt hit the answer button with shaking hands.

"He-Hello?" Kurt said tentatively, his voice squeaking embarassingly on the second syllable.

"Hey Kurt, it's Blaine. I...I hope you don't mind that I called you, but it sounded like you needed to talk to someone. Are you okay? Was it that same Dave guy? He-he didn't hurt you, did he?" Blaine rambled in a rush, irrationally concerned for the wellbeing of a boy he'd met only days before.

Kurt took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his hands growing clammy and his stomach twisting unexpectedly at the sound of worry in Blaine's voice. If he didn't know better, he would think that Blaine actually _cared_ about him. Kurt quickly shook off that hopeful thought, however by reminding himself that Blaine was probably just trying to do a good deed.

"Hey Blaine," Kurt answered, his cheeks flushing red as he said Blaine's name. "I-I'm fine. He didn't hurt me exactly, just something...weird happened." Kurt felt his body tense and his throat close up slightly, making it difficult to get out the words. Kurt was humiliated by what had happened earlier. He felt dirty, used up. And while he knew it was irrational, Kurt couldn't help but think that what had happened was somehow his fault. Although Karfosky was the last person on earth he'd ever pursue sexually, he had gotten up in Dave's face in the locker room. He'd been pushing Dave, almost daring him really, to react, to do something. And Karofsky most certainly had done something.

Unconsciously, Kurt's hand went to mouth and he wiped it roughly against his sleeve. He'd already brushed his teeth and rinsed out his mouth with a travel-sized bottle of Listerine, but he swore he could still taste the slightly sour tang of Dave's mouth. It was the first time that Kurt had ever kissed a guy and it broke Kurt's heart that _this_was the memory of his first kiss, one that he'd be forced to carry around for the rest of his life. Dave had already stole so much from Kurt: his self-confidence, half of his designer wardrobe (which had been ruined beyond repair by a never-ending stream of slushie attacks), even his ability to feel safe at school. And now Karofksy had taken this from Kurt too. He'd taken Kurt's hope, his fantasy of what his first _real_ kiss would be like. His first kiss had been angry, hostile, and violent and Kurt wasn't sure how he'd ever reconcile that experience with the love, intimacy, and romance that kisses were meant to represent. Suddenly, Kurt found his eyes welling with tears and before he knew it, he was sniffling. He desperately needed to pull it together so that he didn't make a total fool out of himself to Blaine.

But unfortunately, Blaine was incredibly intuitive and even in Kurt's silence, he knew something was wrong. "Kurt?" Blaine asked, more gently this time. "What _did_ happen? Are you sure you're okay? You sound upset.

"I-I-I'm fine," Kurt managed between sniffles. His voice was thick with unshed tears and his hands were shaking slightly, making Kurt eternally grateful that he was talking to Blaine over the phone rather than in person so that Blaine wouldn't have to see what a mess he was at the moment.

"You don't sound fine," Blaine replied, growing more worried by the minute at the sound of Kurt's voice. He sounded miserable, terrified, and so alone and the thought of Kurt crying silently by himself nearly broke Blaine's heart. "C'mon, talk to me. What happened today?"

Kurt drew a shuddering breath. There was no way out of this conversation. He was going to have to tell Blaine the truth and just hope that Blaine wouldn't think less of him as a result. "Umm, well this afternoon right after school, I was at my locker when Dave came out of nowhere and shoved me to the ground."

Blaine made a noise of sympathetic concern, but otherwise stayed silent, giving Kurt the space he needed to continue his story. "So umm, I thought about what you said the other day and so I yelled at him. When he didn't stop, I followed him into the locker room, so I could...umm, you know..." Kurt trailed off, his heart pounding as he thought back to what had happened next.

"Mhhm, so you could confront him?" Blaine finished helpfully. "Well, then what happened? How'd he respond?"

"Not good... At first, I just asked him what his problem was. Why did he have such an issue with me, you know?" Kurt continued.

Again, Blaine only made a small sound of acknowledgment, worried that if he spoke up, Kurt would lose his nerve to finish the story.

Kurt sighed. "Anyways, he basically said that he didn't want me checking out his body in the locker room, or trying to "turn him gay" whatever the hell that means. As if I would ever...associate with someone who looks and acts like him," Kurt added bitterly.

"He should be so lucky," Blaine muttered under his breath.

"Huh? What was that?" Kurt asked in confusion, unable to make out what Blaine was saying.

"What? Oh nothing," Blaine responded, flushing red with embarassment. "Sorry, you were saying?"

"Yeah," Kurt started again, biting his lip at the thought of what came next in the story. "So, I told him that he wasn't my type. He kept telling me not to push him, but I was just so mad, so sick of all the bullying that I just kept going. I basically dared him to hit me."

Blaine drew in a sharp breath, simultaneously horrified and impressed at Kurt's bravery. "What did he do? Did he hurt you in any way? Because if he did, Kurt, you've got to report him. I know I told you to stand up for yourself, but the most important thing is that you're safe. I don't want you putting yourself in danger."

Kurt felt his heart swell with gratitude at Blaine's words. At least Blaine was taking this seriously, which was more than he could say for almost everyone else at McKinley. Even his best friends had seen him get thrown into a locker or more than one occasion, but they seemed oddly unphased by how Kurt was being treated. But Blaine got it. He knew how much it hurt, not only to be treated that way, but also to feel like no one, even the teachers, really noticed how much he was hurting. Everyone else was quick to minimize things, to make excuses, but Blaine? Blaine took the situation seriously.

"He didn't hit me," Kurt said, his voice quavering as he got closer and closer to telling Blaine the truth. "He...he umm, kissed me," Kurt said, his voice barely above a whisper.

There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end of the phone as Blaine tried to take in what Kurt had just said. "He...he what?" Blaine asked, horrified.

Kurt was crying now, mostly silent, save for a few quiet sniffles. "He kissed me, Blaine. He just grabbed me and kind of forced himself on me...forced his _tongue_ down my throat," Kurt finished with a trace of bitterness to his voice that Blaine had never heard before.

"Oh Kurt...I...I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how awful that was for you." Blaine was struggling to come up with the right words to help Kurt feel better about the terrible experience when a horrific thought came to mind. "Kurt...he..he didn't do more than kiss you, did he? You...you said he forced himself on you?"

"Oh...oh no no no, he didn't _assault_ me or anything. After he kissed me the first time, I was in total shock and just sort of stood there. I think he thought that I wanted it or something, because he started to kiss me again..." Kurt's voice was strained as he began crying in earnest. "B-but I pushed him away and he sort of yelled and hit the locker and then he...he just left."

Blaine let out an audible sigh of relief. "Oh good, I'm so glad that he...that he didn't... Well, I'm not glad, obviously, but I just meant that...I'm glad that..." Blaine rambled, tripping over his words, unable to express his sense of relief that Kurt hadn't been raped, but his horror at what had happened to him.

"I...I know what you mean, Blaine," he sniffed. "It...it c-c-could of been a lot worse. I just feel so stupid. I had no idea that he...that he felt that way about me. I never would have followed him into the locker room or...or pushed him like that if I knew. It was so stupid of me to..."

Kurt was cut off by Blaine's protest. "Hey...hey now, Kurt. This is NOT your fault, do you hear me? You did nothing wrong. You couldn't have possibly known... If anything, I'm the one to blame for giving you the advice to confront him. I...I don't know what to say, Kurt, except that I'm really sorry. I didn't know the situation, so I should have never told you to do what you did. I put you in harm's way, Kurt, and I'm just so relieved that you weren't hurt any worse."

**End Chapter Note: I know this probably seems like an odd place to end the chapter, and it is really, but you guys have been waiting so patiently that I didn't want to make you wait any longer. This chapter is unbeta-ed thus far, so I will probably edit it a bit tomorrow and re-post a version sans mistakes in the near future. I"m wrapping up the story in the next chapter which should be coming sometime over the weekend. In the meantime, I would love to hear what you think of the story so far. Reviews are love. **

**If you are following any of my other Klaine or CrissColfer stories, I just posted new chapter previews of "It Can't Happen Here" and "Our Time is Short" over on Tumblr. You can find me at place-that-ive-been-dreaming-of(dot)tumblr(dot)com. I also recently posted a CrissColfer one-shot entitled "Such a Feeling I Can't Hide" on this site as well as Tumblr. I'd love your feedback on those stories as well. Thanks for reading :)**


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